As a little kid I used to proudly wear my Dad’s medals at the Anzac Day observance (the day before the actual day) at primary school. Then, on the day itself, I almost always went down to the cenotaph in our regional town to watch the veterans proudly march and join in the remembrance ceremonies. Lately I’ve watched the veterans march from the RSL rooms to the memorial here in my suburb. I’ve always wiped a tear or two away as I see their ranks growing thinner but their pride growing stronger. Lest we forget!
And then again, as I wrote last year, I often remember my Uncle Max who lies buried in foreign soil, along with many of his comrades, after being shot down over Austria on a bombing raid. So young, so much to live for, yet a life given so that we may enjoy what we enjoy today.
But perhaps the most memorable Anzac Day memory for me was back in (I reckon) about 1989 when I happened to be in Singapore to speak at a conference. I discovered that there was to be a Dawn Service at Kranji, the site of many Commonwealth servicemen’s graves. It also happened to be the last time that Australian and New Zealand troops would be in the honour guard because the small unit that had been on duty at the site since the war was being withdrawn. I convinced the conference organisers to put on a bus to take us out there.
And I’ll never forget it!
The commemoration service began in darkness and we “stood to” and observed two minutes’ silence. We sang a hymn; a lone bugler played the Last Post and then concluded the service with Reveille. But what is indelibly etched into my mind is that, gradually, as dawn started to light the sky, I saw thousands of headstones stretched out in every direction. Each the resting place of someone who died in defence of what I, and all of us, take for granted.
And it made me think about the pointlessness of war. The thousands that lie buried there and all over the world who gave their lives in the war that was going to win the peace.
Yet war and fighting still go on. People still die fighting for a cause.
Haven’t we learnt anything?
Winno I couldn’t agree more about the futility and pointlessness of war, so many young men gave of their lives or where scarred for life, so we could live in a free and safe democracy, it is fantastic to see how many young people who are attending at the dawn service and march to feel grateful for what they have, who will ever forget the President of modern Turkey, Atatuk who famously said, “Mothers don’t cry for your son’s as they are our sons too” lets hope the futility of war never ravages our world again, sadly it is madmen and beuracrats who start wars not ordinary folk, lets leave this world in a better place for our children and grand children, lets hope no more Mothers should shed a tear for their loved ones. As the rest of the country will ‘raise a glass to the diggers’ not being a drinker, I will have a couple of Anzac biscuits and a cuppa and reflect on the great courage of the Anzac Diggers.
Well said Ray!